County to finalize budget

The County of Grande Prairie will be finalizing its budget over the next two days. It will be making some adjustments, due to economic forecast changes and the provincial government’s decision not to increase well and pipeline levies.

A $147 million interim budget passed in December 2017 includes $79.3 million for general operations and $67.7 million for capital costs. Among the funded projects are a new fire hall for La Glace and other upgrades for emergency services around the region.

Residents of Bezanson, La Glace, Teepee Creek, and Valhalla are looking at an average of a three per cent increase in their utility fees for water and sewage/wastewater. There’s also a new $100 fee to renew a development permit.

The County’s budget was thrown for a loop when it found out the province wasn’t upping the modifiers that are put on linear property, machinery and equipment, railway, and farm land as proposed in the fall. That leads to a difference of $1.2 million in assessment that will need to be made up for.

Two days have been set aside for the final budget meeting, which will be held in council chambers starting at 10 a.m. Thursday.